Study Architecture 
ProPEL AIA COTE® Top Ten for Students Competition: Winners Announced
Students Awarded for Innovation in Sustainable Design
For Immediate Release:
Washington, D.C., September 23, 2025 – The American Institute of Architects, Committee on the Environment (AIA COTE®), in partnership with the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), is pleased to announce the winners of the 2025 AIA COTE® Top Ten for Students Competition.
The AIA COTE® Top Ten for Students Competition challenged students to design projects that use a creative and innovative, thoroughly integrated approach to architecture, natural systems, and technology to provide design solutions that protect and enhance the environment. Starting this year, students were offered the opportunity to compete in two separate categories: Category I for students enrolled in first-year and second-year design courses, and Category II for upper-level students.
CATEGORY I: FOUNDATION LEVEL
De-Clustered, Environmental Middle School in Pittsburgh’s Inner Fringe
Students: Julia Hu & Russell Tsai
Faculty: Jongwan Kwon
Carnegie Mellon University
Honorable Mention:
One444 Refuge
Students: Joel Ferrick & Jonah Kramer
Faculty: Thomas Provost
University of Detroit Mercy
CATEGORY II: OPEN
Four Membranes
Student: Nicole Cao
Faculty: Jaliya Fonseka
University of Waterloo
Fish House
Students: Leah Gripp & Ciela Stark
Faculty: Rayshad Dorsey, Ulrike Heine & Amy Trick
Clemson University
Time Frame
Student: Luca De Vasconcelos Ricci
Faculty: Jaliya Fonseka
University of Waterloo
Twin Canopy Research Center
Students: Jiaye Li (Jessie), Yudi Dong & Haozheng Wang (Henry)
Faculty: William Braham
University of Pennsylvania
Symbiosis
Student: Irina Chemencedji
Faculty: Ryan Bacha
Savannah College of Art and Design
Center for Information + Collaboration
Student: Elena Silverman
Faculty: Eric Watson
Montana State University
Deus Ex Machina
Students: Arnaud Belzile, Thomas Nadeau-Gauthier & Zachary Lambert
Faculty: Claude Demers & André Potvin
Université Laval
Firewise Futures: A Community-Centered Model for Wildfire Resilience
Student: Jennifer Layer
Faculty: Sallie Hambright-Belue & Matthew Nicolette
Collaborators: Andrew Poole & Alexandra Ugan
Clemson University
DFDi
Students: Audrey Delia & Priscilla Leung
Faculty: Brian Lonsway
Syracuse University
The competition juries included:
Category I: Foundation Level
- Gail S. Brager, University of California, Berkeley
- Robert R. Lowe III, Anne Arundel Community College
- Jessica April Ward, IDEA STUDIO x WORKSHOP
Category II: Upper Level
- Heather Holdridge, Lake Flato Architects
- Carey Nagle, BNIM
- Matthew Ngango, Liollio Architecture
- Susan C. Piedmont-Palladino, Virginia Tech
View the projects and get more information HERE.
About the American Institute of Architects (AIA)
Founded in 1857, the American Institute of Architects consistently works to create more valuable, healthy, secure, and sustainable buildings, neighborhoods, and communities. Through nearly 300 state and local chapters, the AIA advocates for public policies that promote economic vitality and public wellbeing. Members adhere to a code of ethics and conduct to ensure the highest professional standards. The AIA provides members with tools and resources to assist them in their careers and businesses. The AIA engages with civic and government leaders, as well as with the public, to find solutions to pressing issues facing our communities, institutions, nation, and world. For more information, visit www.aia.org.
About the AIA COTE®
The AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE®) works to advance, disseminate, and advocate design practices that integrate built and natural systems and enhance both the design quality and environmental performance of the built environment.
About the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA)
ACSA is the voice of architectural education. We convene and advocate for our field – for the benefit of our members and for the built environment. Founded in 1912 by 10 charter members, ACSA is an international association of architecture schools preparing future architects, designers, and change agents. ACSA’s full members include all of the accredited professional degree programs in the United States and Canada, as well as international schools and 2- and 4-year programs. Together, ACSA schools represent 7,000 faculty educating more than 40,000 students.
ACSA seeks to empower faculty and schools to educate increasingly diverse students, expand disciplinary impacts, and create knowledge for the advancement of architecture. For more information, visit www.acsa-arch.org.
Media Contact
Requests for press materials, including high-resolution images, can be obtained from our media contact.
Hanifah Jones
202-785-2324 x 5
hjones@acsa-arch.org
